Bab edh-Dhra — Dead Sea Plain
Bab edh-Dhra — Dead Sea Plain Tell
Early Bronze Age (3300–2100 BCE)·EBA Jordan·🇯🇴 Karak Governorate, Dead Sea plain, Jordan
About
About Bab edh-Dhra — Dead Sea Plain
Bab edh-Dhra — Dead Sea Plain in Karak Governorate, Dead Sea plain, Jordan is a Early Bronze Age (3300–2100 BCE) ancient city attributed to EBA Jordan culture. German and Syrian excavations document stratified sequence with ceramic seriation and radiocarbon. The site includes a principal mound and ancillary settlement.
Why it mattersKey EBA Jordan site illustrating Early Bronze Age (3300–2100 BCE) ancient-city traditions.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Urban planning of Bab edh-Dhra — Dead Sea Plain
- 02Chronology of lower town
Theories
- 01Administrative centre for EBA Jordan
- 02Trade hub on Euphrates/Khabur
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 3300 BCE
- Period
- Early Bronze Age (3300–2100 BCE)
- Culture
- EBA Jordan
- Purpose
- Walled town 10 ha with charnel houses, 20k tombs
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c. 3300 BCE
Initial settlement
c. 2000 BCE
Major expansion and fortification
On the ground
Structures & features
31.2522° N · 35.5322° E · 98 m · 3 mapped features
Bab edh-Dhra — Dead Sea Plain — Main Mound
moundMain tell mound Bab edh-Dhra — Dead Sea Plain 15 m high with stratified phases
31.2530° N · 35.5330° EBab edh-Dhra — Dead Sea Plain — Lower Town
settlementLower town settlement 10 ha with houses and kilns
31.2513° N · 35.5317° EBab edh-Dhra — Dead Sea Plain — Gate Area
gateFortified gate with mudbrick walls and bastions
31.2533° N · 35.5315° E